I'm teacher. As such, I sometimes get requests from my sweeties for homemade goodies. I have now taught six years and in each of those six years it never failed that I would get asked to bake brownies...

Well, I tried to bake brownies.

And failed.

Even with a box mix.

When Mister came along and we were dating I even attempted to make him some. I'm glad I tasted them first because if a man's heart is through his stomach, those brownies would have sent him running and we would not be where we are today.

For some reason I could not make brownies. I even tried several different recipes to no avail. So, I gave up. I accepted defeat. I would never try again.

Fast forward four years to our first garden and a few prolific zucchini plants. Last year I had more zucchini than I knew what to do with. I made salsa with it, fritters, "apple" pie, muffins, bread, fries, you name it. I would google zucchini recipes almost daily to try and find ways to use them. For real, I could probably write my own zucchini cook book at this point... That's when I found it.

A brownie recipe.

Hmmm...

Dare I try it?

Why not? It definitely couldn't hurt and it wouldn't be like I was wasting zucchini!

The result?

The. Best. Brownies. Ever. These brownies turned out so good people paid for them! I even baked them for my friends at work and they loved them. Everyone who has ever tasted these brownies 1) loved them and 2) could not tell there was zucchini in them. SO, if you need to get rid of some zucchini and aren't afraid to mix chocolate and vegetables, then this is a must try recipe.

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 cup vegetable oil (If you want a healthier version you can use a 1/2 cup applesauce. I've tried both and it doesn't effect the flavor what so ever.)1 1/2 cups sugar (I never use the whole amount.)2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I think you should splash just a tiny tad more.)2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use heaping scoops here. You should definitely add a little more... the chocolatier, the better!)1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon salt2 cups shredded zucchini

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 baking pan... after typing this I realized I have always skipped the flouring part. Oops. Anyways... In a large bowl mix together the oil, sugar,and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini. You might be a little freaked out at how your batter looks. It will be very thick and even a bit hard to stir. It should look like this:

You can see the chicnks of zucchini, but don't worry. Once this bakes, you will have to work really hard to be able to see any zucchini at all! Next, spread your brownie batter into your prepared pan. It will be thick, so you'll have to really squish it to get it where you want it to go.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until brownies spring back when you touch them. Let them cool slightly before cutting into desired sizes. Grab a warm one and enjoy the ooey gooey goodness straight out of the oven!

Look at those brownies! Mmmm... I think it's time to go eat another one... As for you, I know you're eyeballing that giant zucchini over on the counter. Go ahead, try it. Make yourself some brownies!

About Me

Heather (Amateur Extraordinaire)

I'm Heather, a twenty something that is just starting out in this whole home owning and homesteading thing. My Mister and I moved into our first home in September of 2011. It takes daily hard work to make it a place of peace and rest... I started to say peace and quiet... but if you know us, well, that just doesn't fit. Heehee!
I love Jesus, Jane Austen, and Josh. My three loves I found in respective order. If you turn on an Alabama song or old country music I'll sing to the top of my lungs. I love to cook in cast iron, can food from my garden, and take care of all these little homestead critters.
Those are just a few of the many things I love in this ol' world. Follow me and you are sure to find out more!